Meet Hollywood's new Queen Bee

From Julia Roberts to Jennifer Lawrence, Hollywood is known for leading the ‘it-girl’ phenomena.

In 2018 the Queen Bee of showbiz looks a lot different in 19-year-old Amandla Stenberg.

Not only does she have undeniable talent, a dedicated fan base, her celeb friendship circle and the potential to dominate awards season, but she’s got a firm grasp of social and political change, along with a massive Instagram following and passion for humanitarian work.

Meet the new Queen B of Hollywood, Amandla Stenberg. Source: Getty

Having starred in The Hunger Games and Everything, Everything, the teen who considers herself an ‘intersectional feminist’ hasn’t shied away from social justice activism and contributing to the multi-facted conversation surrounding diversity.

In 2015, at the age of 16, she famously called out Kylie Jenner for cultural appropriation in sporting cornrows.

“When u appropriate black features and culture but fail to use ur position of power to help black Americans by directing attention towards ur wigs instead of police brutality or racism #whitegirlsdoitbetter (sic),” she wrote at the time.

She was also named Feminist of the Year by the Ms. Foundation for Women that very same year, before appearing in Beyonce’s Lemonade music video the next.

The 19-year-old stars in new sci-fi fantasy film, The Darkest Minds. Source: 20th Century Fox

Beyonce became a fan of Amandla’s work after the teen appeared in the Grammy award-winning singer’s Lemonade music video in 2016. Source: Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia via Beyonce Youtube

Later the actress revealed Beyonce had told her she wanted her daughter Blue Ivy to grow up to be just like her.

At this point we could end the article here, but there’s even more that cements Amandla’s Queen Bee status.

“It’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and to mold yourself into shapes that you just shouldn’t be in,” she told the magazine at the time.

Amandla pictured with Rihanna and Shonda Rhimes. S Source: Getty

The biracial actress is known just as much for her social activism work as for her films. Source: Getty

“As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman, I’ve been through it and it hurts and it’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable.”

Earlier this year she clarified it took her two years to realise she’s not bisexual, but gay, and made headlines when she admitted she ‘walked away’ from a Black Panther role as she’d be a “bi-racial American with a Nigerian accent just pretending that I’m the same color as everyone else in the movie”.

She’s now taken on the lead role in The Darkest Minds, a sci-fantasy film drawing parallels to US President Donald Trump’s controversial immigration policy.

The movie, directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, sees children with superpowers removed from their families and placed in concentration camps.

Amandla featured in Time’s list of Most Influential Teens in 2015 and 2016. Source: Getty

She took Jaden Smith to her prom. Source: Instagram/amandlastenberg

Amandla admits the film is incredibly ‘relevant’ right now, with children being separated from their families by the American government as part of Trump’s immigration policies.

“I thought it was really cool to see this story about kids having to stand in their strength and power and learning how to use it against a government they don’t believe in,” she tells Be of her initial reaction when reading the script.

“That felt really relevant. We couldn’t necessarily predict how relevant it would be because we went into production way before Trump was elected in the States but it’s become increasingly, increasingly more relevant as time passes.”